Jane Austen's house

 

I have tried to get a photo of this Jane Austen's house for ages. Usually there is someone standing outside of it or a car parked there, granted this still isn't the best photo! It was here that the novelist Jane Austen, spent the last few weeks of her life. She had been living nearby at Chawton for several years, but in 1817 her health began to fail and she came to Winchester with her sister Cassandra to receive better medical care. However a few weeks later she died, and was buried at the Cathedral. The house is now a private home.

***I am away at the moment so have scheduled this post, back at the weekend*** 

J is for Jane Austen

Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, Emma, you may have read the novels of Jane Austen or seen them adapted into film/TV but did you know that Jane Austen is buried here in Winchester in the Cathedral.

In May 1817, suffering from a kidney disorder, she came to Winchester from Chawton along with her sister to be close to her doctor. Unfortunately Jane died a couple of months after arriving here aged 41 years old and was laid to rest in the cathedral. The original memorial stone over Jane’s tomb (to the left of the photo) makes no reference to her literary achievements, so a brass plaque was added in 1872 to redress this.

For more 'J' themed posts see ABC Wednesday

Look Up Winchester

There is a great book called Look Up Winchester which gives the background of many of the building's in Winchester High Street above the eye line, where they are often unchanged for many years. Here is one photo above what is now Clarks Shoe Shop (see the boot to the right). Built in 1780 on the site of St Mary Kalender Church The White Horse Inn lost its licence in 1937. In 1808 Jane Austin wrote to her sister of an incident which occurred at this Inn when adulterous lovers met there, but were recognised by the landlady who was later called to give evidence at the scandalous divorce proceedings.

The book Look Up Winchester can be bought at: Amazon.co.uk